Bat-killing fungus confirmed in Acadia National Park

BAR HARBOR, Maine — The National Park Service says a mysterious ailment that has killed millions of bats in the eastern United States has been discovered in Maine’s Acadia National Park.

Park Superintendent Sheridan Steele says he is disappointed that what is known as white-nose syndrome has been confirmed. The fungus is harmless to humans but is lethal to bats, which play an important role in healthy ecosystems by managing mosquitoes and other biting insects.

Steele says the park service is working with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center to find ways to reduce the spread in Maine’s bat populations.